May 2006

Lost in direct translation?

May 31, 2006

Icelandic has a lot of funny sayings that people use in day-to-day discourse, which become even better when translated into English. It lies in the eyes upstairs Það liggur í augum uppi [i.e. It's obvious] The raisin at the end of the hot dog Rúsínan í pylsuendanum [i.e. when something happens that tops something that's [...]

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Superenthusiastic YT

May 30, 2006

So the last couple of posts have been a bit gloom-and-doom so today I thought might post about things I’m feeling kind of enthusiastic about right now. 1. Google Earth… have you checked it out yet? I mean, I’d heard it was cool, but nothing prepared me for the pure awe – not to mention [...]

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A little bit of resignation

May 29, 2006

Well, EPI and I went and marched on Saturday, and then cast our votes. Sadly, however, the Left-Greens are not likely to be part of the new Reykjavík City Council.* The majority – albeit not a clear majority – went to the right-wing Independence Party, which now takes possession of the city after a 12-year [...]

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It’s time to get furious

May 26, 2006

Sometimes – very occasionally – something you hear, or see, or read, evokes powerful emotions. It speaks to you. Makes you see something in a different light, appreciate something in a different way, shifts something inside. It moves you. Such a thing happened to me today when I read an article by Andri Snær Magnason [...]

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Silvía does the Acropolis

May 25, 2006

Hi,We were in Athens for the event and Silvia’s meltdown. On Saturday we went to the Acropolis and she showed up with her entourage and it was fabulous. She couldn’t have been more playful and charming! Jim Smyth * Meanwhile, EPI and I entertained ourselves at dinner with thoughts of what it would be like [...]

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Is every laptop a craptop, or is it just me?

May 24, 2006

In the beginning, there was craptop number one. Then came craptop number two, which some of you may remember was eventually refunded in full. And now – brace yourselves – we have craptop number three. Yes, dear readers, after an entire month of use coupled with serious kid-glove treatment, my new IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad decided was [...]

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Party party a go-go

May 22, 2006

Well she may not have made it through to the Eurovision finals, but the phenom known as Silvía Nótt could not have drummed up more publicity for herself even if she had emerged as the winner. Indeed, the fact that she was eliminated apparently gave her just the opportunity she needed to become this year’s [...]

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Silvía Nótt dissected

May 19, 2006

So, all day long, pundits up here have been rattling on about Eurovision, giving their expert views on Silvía and what-went-wrong and yadayadayada. Even old Morgunblaðið, which is renowned for its highbrow cultural supplement on Saturdays, is publishing a feature tomorrow entitled “What is Silvía Nótt?” – The emphasis obviously being on the ‘What’ as [...]

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Quickie linkies

May 19, 2006

jmc has kindly provided a link to the Silvía Eurovision performance last night… make of it what you will, but please do keep your tongue embedded in your cheek. One thing that’s definitely noticeable is that she’s really short of breath, having been ill the day before. He also asked about the link to the [...]

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Booooohh….

May 18, 2006

So, obviously we watched the Eurovision semi-finals this evening like real troupers – we even got out the barbecue and EPI cooked up some lamb filets and baked potatoes that we imbibed in front of the telly. The songs were the usual Eurovision study in sappy mediocrity and camp unoriginality… until the end, when we [...]

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